Alexandra Barker

Alexandra Barker is an Amsterdam-based fashion brand dedicated to raising awareness and encouraging change within the textile and fashion industry. Its collections are produced locally and by hand, with respect for both people and the environment. The brand has strong, progressive values and promotes fair production practices, the use of local and responsible materials and on-demand production. Yes

The brand’s goal is to source and produce as much as possible locally within the Netherlands, while rethinking the processes needed to make responsible and sustainable clothing within today’s global fashion system. Through small-scale, local production, the brand explores alternative models for circularity, material responsibility and value creation. Alexandra Barker operates as a practice, evolving over time through ongoing knowledge building and practical experience.

Alexandra Barker is an entrepreneur and fashion designer with a background in fashion design and extensive experience within luxury fashion, fast fashion, tailoring and textile development. Her expertise lies in designing, sourcing and developing fabrics in collaboration with weavers and manufacturers in Europe, Turkey and Asia, both in-house and as an independent textile consultant.

Among other roles, she worked as Fabric Design Development Manager at Burberry, where she was responsible for fabric development for major collections, and gained experience at Zara and in artisan tailoring at Savile Row in London. This combination of large-scale and small-scale production models gives her deep insight into the structure and tensions within the fashion system.

Alexandra works across the entire design and production process: from textile development and sampling to small-scale and on-demand production. She has specific expertise in the economic and organisational preconditions of local and responsible production, including cost price, fair labour and scalability.

Alexandra focuses on the development of circular and regenerative textile and production systems that are ecologically sound and economically viable. Her interest lies in the practical translation of sustainability into design, production and business models within the fashion and textile sector.

Within collaborations with research and education networks, she explicitly seeks the connection between design, craft, technology and education. She is interested in projects on local production chains, material innovation, fair labour and the role of designers in stimulating systemic change. She also enjoys contributing to educational and practice-based research that helps students and professionals operate critically and entrepreneurially within a changing fashion system.

Circular textile chains: developing closed cycles in fashion and textiles, from material selection to reuse and regeneration.

Regenerative materials: Focus on locally grown and regenerative fibres, such as linen and cotton, with attention to soil, biodiversity and long product cycles.

Local and fair production: Strengthen regional manufacturing networks, craftsmanship and fairly paid labour within small-scale production systems.

Sustainable business models: Alternatives to fast fashion, such as on-demand production, small batches and pricing models that link sustainability and feasibility.

Design, education and system change: The role of designers and education in stimulating critical thinking and structural change